Eagles & Ravens Possible Trading Partners for Veteran RB?

Getty Images Gus Edwards carrying two defenders.

It’s no secret the Eagles are looking to add depth behind Miles Sanders. LeSean McCoy and Devonta Freeman are the two leading candidates for that role.

Sanders looked dynamic out of the backfield in 2019 and keeps telling everyone he’s ready to be the bellcow. In fact, the Penn State product revealed he has aims on NFL MVP honors. Still, Philadelphia has been pursuing a veteran running back in free agency. The team “talked” to McCoy after the draft and recently made a formal offer to Freeman.

The Eagles don’t want to spend more than $1 million per year on a veteran back. Freeman doesn’t sound like he’s going to come that cheap. McCoy? Who knows. He desperately wants to return to Philly. But there could be an even cheaper option on the trade market. His name is Gus Edwards. At 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds, he’s exactly the type of thunder the Eagles want to pair with Sanders’ lightning.

The Ravens are loaded at the running back position after selecting Ohio State standout J.K. Dobbins in the second round (55th overall) of the draft. He joins a crowded backfield that includes starter Mark Ingram along with last year’s fourth-round pick Justice Hill, plus all those snaps reserved for dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson. There’s just not enough carries to go around and Edwards appears to be the odd man out.

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Edwards Has Gained 1,429 Yards in Two Seasons

Two years ago, Edwards burst on the scene as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers. He took over as the full-time starter in Week 11 after he ran for 115 yards versus Cincinnati. Edwards followed it up by running for 118 yards against Oakland in Week 12. He finished his rookie campaign with 718 yards on 137 carries (5.2 yards per touch).

Then, the Ravens went out and signed Ingram to a three-year, $15 million deal in 2019. And drafted Hill in the fourth round. Not exactly a huge vote of confidence for Edwards. He still ranked third on the team in rushing yards (711). Now they have added Dobbins to the mix, an electric blur who racked up 4,459 and 38 touchdowns in three years at Ohio State.

Gus 🚌 pic.twitter.com/tY7KZdly46

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It was kind of a head-scratching move, especially after Ravens coach John Harbaugh called Edwards a “starting running back in this league.”

“Gus [Edwards], to me, is a starting running back in this league,” Harbaugh said at the end of last year. “He continues to prove it. He proved it last year in the last six games, and to see him in there carrying the load like that is not surprising.”

How About the Price Tag on Third-Year RB?

Well, the price tag is the best part for the Eagles. Edwards is still on his rookie deal and scheduled to earn just $750,000 in base salary in 2020, per Spotrac. He’s an unrestricted free agent in 2021 and the Ravens don’t seem anxious to bring him back.

Cue up the bargain bin. Baltimore would probably much rather trade him and get something in return than to let him leave in free agency. Of course, the next question is what would the Eagles have to give up for Edwards? It may not be much.

Since he went undrafted out of college, GM Howie Roseman could come in with a nice low-ball offer on a productive player. Maybe the Ravens would consider a fifth-round pick or even a sixth-rounder in exchange for the 25-year-old. That’s a steal for a guy who has played in 27 games (seven starts) and racked up 1,429 yards in two seasons.